Are you afraid your kids are not prepared for the world? It’s an important task to raise mentally strong kids, or else they might become adults who give up too easily.
Read on to know more about raising resilient kids and why it’s crucial to make your children face failure!
These days kids grow up with every possible means of luxury and comfort. They are habituated with the world being right on their fingertips.
Everything is ready with one click or tap; things are instant, things are right how they want them to be. And if something is not right, that can be changed with one rant, one temper tantrum, or one bad review. Life seems to be a seamless experience, right?
Only when it’s not. The queue to the grocery store clerk is too long; your kids start fidgeting, yelling, and throwing hissy fits.
The latest iPhone is out and it’s way out of your budget, but supposedly ALL your kid’s friends got one and so your child acts as if it’s the end of the world.
Now you think you have coddled them too much or provided way more than they needed? If they can’t handle minor inconveniences or face simple reality as a child, how are they going to cope as an adult?
As they say, morning shows the day. How will they handle loss of a loved one or a job? What will they do if a partner dumps them? How will they learn resilience and overcome setbacks if they don’t learn to face failure or discomfort as a child?
Thoughts like these make you anxious for your child’s future. Your worries are valid. Resilience and grit comes after facing fear, failure, and disappointments. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
Nowadays, when everything gets handed out to the kids, teaching them lessons on perseverance, grit, resilience, and mental strength becomes more necessary than ever.
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How To Raise Mentally Strong Kids
Here’re some actionable inputs which can help any parent raise mentally strong kids who are ready for the future.
1. Help them Set a Goal and Encourage Risk-Taking in a Safe Environment
It’s difficult to learn how to get back after a fall if one doesn’t have a goal to chase in the first place. To raise mentally strong kids help them set SMART goals.
Let your kid try their hands at new things—whether it’s learning a sport, take up self-defence lessons, or start reading classics.
This will help them to set a target for themselves and step outside of their comfort zone. The more they step outside their comfort zone, the more they learn to face challenges.
2. Normalize Failure as a Stepping Stone
When your child inevitably commits a mistake in their pursuit, don’t criticise or make them feel bad. Instead, tell them that mistakes are opportunities for growth.
As long as one learns from their mistake, they never lose. Facing a setback is normal, it’s a part of the process, and it really means that they’re learning.
Raise mentally strong kids by sharing stories of famous failures (like Thomas Edison or J.K. Rowling) to show how setbacks can lead to success. How important it is to believe in oneself and not give up after failure or rejections.
3. Praise Effort, Not Just Results
Endurance and perseverance do not come if one meets with success every time. The process matters.
If you want to raise mentally strong kids, teach them that they can be good at anything if they keep at it. Abilities can be developed through dedication and learning.
Instead of saying, “You’re so smart!” or “I am proud of you”, try, “I love how hard you worked on that!” or “You should be proud of yourself”. This helps kids understand that consistent effort leads to improvement.
4. Let them Experience Occasional Discomfort and Encourage Problem-Solving Skills
While it’s hard to see your beloved child struggle, parents who raise mentally strong kidsit’s understand that problem-solving is a critical skill, which cannot be fostered if they keep swooping in and fix everything at once.
Let them analyse, think about solutions, and come out stronger and wiser. We’re not suggesting you abandon your child in the middle of a crisis and go to the movies. Just give them space to figure things out on their own before stepping in.
Instead of offering solutions immediately, you may ask, “What do you think we should do?” This helps them think critically and gain self-confidence, during challenges. Allow them to make choices (and mistakes) in a safe environment.
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5. Instill a Sense of Responsibility
To raise mentally strong kids, you need to give them age-appropriate responsibilities like setting the table, packing their school bag, or making small decisions. Ask them what to put in this week’s grocery list.
These small habits help to build accountability and self-reliance, preparing them for real-world tasks.
6. Build Emotional Intelligence and Encourage Emotional Regulation
If you want to raise mentally strong kids who can keep it together during adversities, you have to help them identify and manage their emotions, especially difficult ones, such as frustration, failure, anger etc.
Show them how to address their emotions and channel their feelings through productive and creative outlets.
7. Teach Healthy Coping Mechanisms
To raise mentally strong kids, introduce them to positive yet simple coping techniques like:
- deep breathing
- journaling
- taking a walk
- exercises
- mindfulness
- meditation
- hobbies such as gardening, pottery, reading
This will empower them to handle stress and anxiety without depending on negative coping mechanisms.
8. Teach Them to Reframe Negative Thoughts
Parents who raise mentally strong kids, encourage them to replace negative thoughts with positive self-talks, like “I can’t do this” with “I’ll try my best” or “I am learning and improving.”
When they say, “I can’t do this,” encourage them to add “yet” to the end of the sentence: “I can’t do this yet.” This simple shift helps them see challenges as temporary.
9. Lead by Example
Kids learn by observing their parents. They consciously and unconsciously imitate their behavioral patterns. Use this to set an example for them.
When you face setbacks, verbalize how you handle them: “This didn’t work, but I’ll try a different approach.” Avoid lashing out on your partner or any angry outbursts in front of your kid. Your attitude will shape theirs.
Huddle them up and share stories about your student life or first job; when you faced challenges and worked your way through.
Read: 8 Undeniable Signs She’s Destined to Be an A+ Mom
10. Show Unconditional Love and Support
We cannot stress enough, while raising resilient kids, please remember that to prepare your child for a hard world, you don’t have to harden your heart.
Be nurturing and compassionate in your approach to parenting. Even when teaching these lessons, you don’t have to make it an assignment or project. Teach them with love and use positive reinforcement and words of encouragement.
Your child must not grow wary of life, but learn to love and enjoy life, even when things get tough.
Your child needs to know that their worth isn’t tied to achievements. Regularly remind them that you love and believe in them, no matter what.
Parents who raise mentally strong kids give their children a lifelong gift – the ability to face difficulties in life with positivity, courage, determination, confidence, and resilience. Therefore, to raise mentally strong kids is the most important legacy a parent can leave.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to raise a mentally strong child?
To raise a mentally strong child, help them set a personal goal, teach them failures are stepping stones, allow them to make mistakes, encourage self-reliance, encourage problem-solving and decision-making, promote healthy coping techniques, teach them positive self-talks, help them manage their emotions, lead by example, and always offer unconditional love and support.
How to raise emotionally strong kids?
Help your child to identify and manage their emotions, especially the difficult ones, and channel them through creative outlets. It is also important to learn healthy coping style and positive self-talks.
How to teach a child not to give up?
From early on a child needs to understand that abilites come from sustainable efforts. To get up after a fall means a lot. Resilience can be taught through practical life lessons. Allow your child to make mistakes, learn from them, participate in age-apropriate decision making, and come up with creative solutions.
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